Why should I upgrade Java?

Java 8 is the latest release for Java that contains many new features, enhancements and bug fixes to improve efficiency to develop and run Java programs.

Features of Java 8

Here is a brief summary of the enhancements included with the Java 8 release:

Detect and Remove old Java (Windows)
Starting with Java 8 Update 20, the Java Uninstall Tool is integrated with the installer to provide an option to remove older versions of Java from the system. The change is applicable to 32 bit and 64 bit Windows platforms.

Lambda Expression and Virtual Extension Methods
Highlighting feature of Java SE 8 is the implementation of Lambda expressions and supporting features to the Java programming language and platform.

Date and Time API
This new API will allow developers to handle date and time in a more natural, cleaner and easier to understand way.

Nashhorn JavaScript Engine
A new lightweight, high performance implementation of JavaScript engine is integrated to JDk and is available to Java applications via existing APIs.

Improved Security
Replacing the existing hand-maintained list of caller sensitive methods with a mechanism that accurately identifies such methods and allows their callers to be discovered reliably.